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Yelp Files New EU Complaint Against Google Over Search Dominance (ft.com)
Yelp has filed a complaint with the EU's antitrust watchdog against Google, arguing that the search company has abused its dominance in local search and pressuring Brussels to launch new charges against the tech giant, Financial Times reported Tuesday. From the report: European antitrust authorities fined Google $2.8B in June 2017 for favouring its own shopping service over rival offerings in its search results. Google denied wrongdoing and has appealed that decision. Now Yelp, which provides user ratings, reviews and other information about local businesses, wants Margrethe Vestager, the EU Competition Commissioner, to take action against Google for similar alleged abuse in the local search market, according to a copy of the complaint seen by the Financial Times. The move comes days after Yelp founder Jeremy Stopplelman appeared on 60 Minutes to talk about Google's search monopoly. Here's the exchange he had with reporter Steve Kroft: Jeremy Stoppelman: If I were starting out today, I would have no shot of building Yelp. That opportunity has been closed off by Google and their approach.
Steve Kroft: In what way?
Jeremy Stoppelman: Because if you provide great content in one of these categories that is lucrative to Google, and seen as potentially threatening, they will snuff you out.
Steve Kroft: What do you mean snuff you out?
Jeremy Stoppelman: They will make you disappear. They will bury you.
Steve Kroft: In what way?
Jeremy Stoppelman: Because if you provide great content in one of these categories that is lucrative to Google, and seen as potentially threatening, they will snuff you out.
Steve Kroft: What do you mean snuff you out?
Jeremy Stoppelman: They will make you disappear. They will bury you.
What's next, ask.com is going to sue google because their searchbar sucks, and you can search via google how to remove it?
It's really ironic that Yelp of all companies is complaining about deceitful practices. Yelp takes down 5-star reviews from actual customers claiming "their algorithm is able to filter out non-relevant reviews". I've had dozens of 5-star reviews taken down from my company's page that I know were from actual customers (who also had multiple reviews with other businesses).
A possible reason for Yelp doing this? Maybe because I've told them numerous times that I did not want to advertise with them.
Yeah really strange for Yelp to be complaining about anyone's business practices. Yelp is shady asf. Basically they call up businesses and say "if you don't pay up, we're going to post a bunch of fake reviews and damage your business".
I wish Google would show a lot LESS of Yelp, since Yelp is nothing but paid ads fraudulently marketed as reviews. We're I in charge of Google, I probably wouldn't list Yelp, or would significantly de-rank them as a known fraud.
They don't let you view full review for a business on a mobile browser, instead forcing you to "get the app." There are workarounds, but there's no reason why I should be nudged to get an app to view info that's otherwise freely available on the Web. Unless they like to track "customer" locations of course, and monetize the data.
Yelp is just a long line of cry babies complaining their junk is not in the top of search results compared to Google's even though Yelp has heavily done SEO. Yelp wants a free ride with their junk at the top without having to pay Google for this. Wow.
And the review they ride in on.
This is just demented. Yelp has been destroying search results for a living. I used to be able to search for a local restaurant, and find the website for said local restaurant. Now, I get to wade through directory-site after directory-site, with the actual local restaurant's web-site way down the list.
Yelp is upset that google doesn't list them as high? I'm upset that google doesn't list the actual website as high.
Maybe google should push yelp, and every other directory listing site, to the bottom of the list, under actual businesses.
Think about it. When was the last time you were searching and actually wanted to find a directory listing? The search results ARE the directory listing. I don't need a listing of listings. I want a listing of results.
This is why I don't use google. I'm not interested in results of big businesses. I'm not looking for big businesses. I never had any trouble finding big businesses. I'm looking for the needle, not for the haystack.
Think about this one. Ever search for a television, or other big appliance? Did you need google to suggest best buy, walmart, and a dozen other huge outlets that you know about? No you didn't. You needed google to help you find the small outlets, that don't advertise to you with millions of dollars of marketing budgets.
Thanks google. You're no better than a subway ad.
We selected our dentist based on the excellent reviews she had on Yelp, more than 4.5 from a sizable number of reviews. Unfortunately she turned out to be the worst. Too money minded to be any good. She damaged the teeth of my wife, extracted a seemingly healthy tooth and did this to me:
1. tried to fix a tooth by drilling and extracting decayed matter - the cavity turned out to be too deep
2. referred me to an endo-dontist, who extracted his pound of flesh, by this time I had maxed out my insurance
3. within a few weeks, the tooth broke (I was trying to break a polo mint). I did not have a crown.
I visit the dentist and she tells me that it will cost $5000 to get a new tooth. She wants to hurriedly set an appointment with a dental surgeon.
It now seems all her Yelp reviews are fake. I still check out Yelp, but I do compare it with reviews on Google too, which seems equally bad if not worse. Not only does Yelp provide shitty service (I can't complain too much - I paid nothing to them), they also want no competition!
Were they modded off-topic? Because it sure sounds off-topic.
Jeremy Stoppelman: Because if you provide great content
Where is proof - Yelp! has certainly never provided anything I would label "great content". I wounder if he has any other examples and why he is so upset.
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Yelp was great for restaurants, because people love to write about being bougie.
But otherwise, it's really hard to get reviews.
Then google made a better way to find things. Fast map with info well displayed, they used their talent in search to the point that it was far easier to search on google that Yelp to actually find things, while on Yelp I was fighting the interface, Google I was aided by it.
This is the same for their shopping, and for their flight search, and was a large part of the reason their original search took off. Even now, the loud google search page is far simpler and cleaner than Yahoo was when they got clobbered.
the entire thing has an air of mafiosa about it. They've been caught numerous times selling their services on the basis of "If you know what's good for you". They're upset because if they can't put a bad review at the top of Google's search results they don't have a business model.
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Yelp files complaint against Google
/., never change
Slashdot: MUST BE M$!!!11
never change
You can buy a good review on the internet for a few dollars
Are we talking about Lenin or Google?
...which is deserved IMO BTW, I just realized...why no filter controls on generic searches? That could be a business opportunity for an outfit like Google. Filter out known aggregators, filter out social networks, etc. Like maybe Google's missing out on some money there. Pay $1-per-month for Google services or some-such and get Google services with no ads or tracking, plus custom-configurable filters. Facebook would hate them much as customers might start liking them again.
Are we sure Steve Kroft isn't a reporter bot. His questions sound a lot like Eliza replies:
That opportunity has been closed off by Google and their approach.
and seen as potentially threatening, they will snuff you out.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
If I build a good product which conquers the market and your product cannot compete with mine, is it my fault because I built it too well or yours because the quality of your product is inferior? Stop whining and apply yourself, Yelp. Oh, and most of all, grow up. No one likes tattletales.
It's ironic that Yelp is doing this. If anything, Yelp should be under indictment for shady business practices.
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You'll find there have been at least ten legal proceedings against Yelp for this activity, including a class action suit.
I do hope they pay you your $10 for posting that here, though.
No need to try to bother with the "slander" comment. I know they sue journalists and bloggers who mention their business practices. I'm quite immune to suit, though. They are more than welcome to try to sue me. They should be prepared to sue Ken Paxton too, though.
There are alternatives...
Granted I tend not to click on them because I do not like yelp.
The only way I've ever ended up on Yelp, is via a Google search. I'd hardly call it "great content" It seems more along the lines of "unreliable and often dubious content" to me.
creimer maybe you can resume ass fucking APK since he is posting again.
As it turns out, most people have no idea how to assess if a medical professional is good or not.